School Notes

Beachwood City Schools Superintendent to Retire in 2015

Board of Education to vote on contract modification that would allow Rich Markwardt to continue working for two years after June 30 retirement.

Beachwood Superintendent Rich Markwardt will officially retire this year, but may work for the district for two more years after that. The board voted last night to add a clause to Markwardt's contract that would allow him to be re-employed by the school district after his June 30 retirement. Markwardt has been with the district since the 2004-2005 school year. Before that, he worked as superintendent of Berkshire Local Schools in Ohio and in administrator positions at the Ravenna City School District and the Osnaburg Local School District. The board also approved the re-employment of district treasurer Michele Mills for five years beginning in the 2014-2015 school year. Click the PDF to the right to see the full agenda for the meeting.

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Beachwood BOE Approves Support Staff Union Contract

School board approves BUSS contract 11 months in the making

The Beachwood City Schools Board of Education approved a union contract for support staff at last night’s meeting. Support staff, including bus drivers, cafeteria and maintenance workers, agreed to a two-year wage freeze, a 10 percent contribution into their healthcare premiums – up from 5 percent last year – and a slight increase in co-pays and deductibles. But one important improvement for the union was the elimination of a board policy that could demerit employees when they used excessive sick days without documentation – such as a doctor’s note. That’s the clause that sparked the drive for a union in September of 2009, said Kim Luther, the Ohio Federation of Teachers’ field coordinator. The district outsourced their busing routes in …

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Report: Beachwood Schools Athletic Fields Suffer From Overuse

Football, baseball fields require months of rest for adequate repair

Beachwood City Schools’ athletic fields pose no immediate safety concern to student athletes, though there are several spots in poor condition due to overuse, a study contracted by the district has concluded. Beachwood City Schools Superintendent Rich Markwardt has addressed concerns about the fields’ condition at past Board of Education meetings. He told Patch that the fields are not given enough time to “rest” — essentially, what the study has also concluded. He added that he hopes to consider installing artificial turf on the football field once renovations at Beachwood High School are complete. Landscape architects and site planners R.J. Priest and Associates conducted the safety study on the baseball, softball, football and soccer …

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